The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lessons and sessions continue at the Rumba Room this Friday night with live music from Sweet Megg and the Wayfarers. Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $5 before 7:00 p.m. and $7 thereafter.

Boing Boing posted this split screen video, produced (ironically) by The New Yorker, showing the same car trip around Los Angeles 70 years ago and today. Fun car spotting, especially when a car starts following the camera in both screens. No Audis in the 1940's. Lincoln Zephyrs and Packards ruled. Also amusing is when the modern trip is thwarted by construction detours.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Red Hot Lindy Hop lessons and sessions continue at the Rumba Room this Friday night. Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. Free admission before 7:00 p.m. and $5 thereafter. Lesson by Phil and Joy with music by DJ Joy.

I have seen amateur color footage from the 1939 World's Fair in New York on the Internet Archive, but Boing Boing pointed me to this commercially produced color short of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. Since most existing footage or photos from the 1930's are in black and white, it never occurs to some people that, yes, color existed before 1950. This short shows its commercial purpose when it becomes a Chrysler ad.

Monday, February 13, 2017

This comic, posted on Four Color Shadows, interested me for several reasons: 1) the name "Kinks" Mason 2) a trained seal sidekick, and 3) a story about stopping seal poachers from the 1940's. The story does not really get into the moral or environmental issues about clubbing baby seals to death for their fur. Instead, it has more of a law and order vibe, like "poaching is illegal and we should stop it." Of course, it could just be that the writers wanted to give "Battler," our hero's trained seal, the opportunity to enlist his fellow aquatic mammals' help in capturing the bad guys.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Here is a new one for me. Our favorite squinty-eyed, swollen-forearmed, pipe-smoking sailor becomes part of the Lend Lease program, and sails a cargo of spinach to the UK. After dealing with a Nazi U-Boat, Popeye delivers his cargo - and the U-Boat - to No. 10 Downing Street. I especially like the V for Victory toot (dot dot dot daaaaaaaaaaaaaaah) on his pipe at the end. From the Internet Archive, here is the 1943 animated short, Spinach Fer Britain.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

As this post on Ask Vance points out, roller derby goes back to at least the 1930's, and apparently Leo Seltzer was the man who invented the sport. Vance posted this 1939 program from a Seltzer Memphis roller derby event. I never knew much about the game/race/sport, but after reading Vance's posting of the rules, I know even less.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Boing Boing posted this video about Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier who served with U.S. Army Corporal William A. Wynne, in World War II, and who went on to television fame. Wynne got Smoky in 1944, and she went with him through the Pacific Theater for the next two years. The video mentions her leading him away from a site where an enemy shell landed shortly thereafter, and her work as a therapy dog in Army hospitals, but it leaves out one of her most impressive achievements. Her diminutive stature allowed her to run a telegraph wire through a 70 foot long pipe with a diameter of only 8 inches, in only a few minutes. Without Smoky, it would have been necessary for servicemen to dig up the pipe and run the wire, which would have taken three days, all while disrupting operations at the airfield.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Taking its title and background music from the song of the same name, this cartoon features a fish that does not want to school. From the Internet Archive, Fleischer Studio's 1939 animated short, Small Fry.

Time for the monthly preview of programming on Turner Classic Movies, brought to you by The Hollywood Revue. As always, February is "31 Days of Oscar" month, so all the movies presented won or were nominated for an Academy Award. Those who are hyper-organized will appreciate that all of the movies will be shown in alphabetical order, so February 1 starts with Adam’s Rib at 8:00 AM, followed by The Adventures of Robin Hood at 12:15 PM, After the Thin Man at 2:00 PM, All About Eve at 8:00 PM, etc.